Dramatic Play Ideas

[thatdivalady]

I was browsing and saw so many awesome pictures of your dramatic play areas and would love it if you guys could share the best equipment. I'm looking to get another play kitchen and other furniture as well as costumes. Where do you go to buy yours?

[meganlavonnesmommy]

The kids absolute favorite area is the baby/doll center. I have a wooden crib, with several dolls, clothes, spoons and bowls, bottles, receiving blankets, small washcloths and an infant tub. They play with this every day, even the boys. They love to give the babies baths, feed them, and put them to sleep.

We have a play kitchen, but it isnt used much. They do play lots with the plastic grocery cart and playfood. We also have two wooden melissa and doug birthday cake and pizza play sets. they make cake and pizza all the time. They are worth every penny, and last forever.

[MarinaVanessa]

I found that the more realistic the pretend play center is (we call it our Imagination Station) the more the kids like it. Furniture wise none of our large pieces are especially fancy and actually they're pretty simple. I have a play kitchen, a wicker side-table and matching coffee table (went to our old yard furniture set), a child-size table folding table and 4 foldable chairs, a wooden playhouse and a child-size plastic picnic table with attached benches. Like I said none of my pieces are especially "special" they're actually very simple and gender-neutral. The play kitchen for example has pastel colors but covers pink, blue and everything in between. My playhouse is neutral brown etc.

I find that the kids LOVE this area the most because of the props that we have in this area and not the large pieces themselves. I try to pick out items that are gender neutral and realistic looking. My play food is from Lakeshore Learning and has everything from Sushi to pasta. This way this area can be a house, a restaurant or a grocery store. I also have things like metalic kitchen utencils, artificial flowers, laminated junk-mail/restaurant menu's etc.

Whatever you can find in a house, store or other business I try to offer as a prop and the more realistic it is, the more the kids like it (real phone with the cords cut off rather than a play phone). My boys and girls always play together and even though the girls play and "live in the house" the boys play with them but are the mailman, chef, store clerk etc. For me at least, it's the props that make this area special.